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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · last · roll · pitcher · bark · lie · trunk · march

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — music
  4. roll — a cake
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a list
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. last — final
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — to shout
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com